The present invention relates to devices for reeling, holding, transporting, and unreeling collaspable hose particularly fire hoses. Fire hose typically comes in selected lengths, for example 50' lengths. After use the base must be cleaned, dried, sorted and then replaced on a fire truck. Specifically, after each use, upon return of the fire trucks to the fire house, the fire hose is throughly washed and hung in a hose tower or rack to dry. After the hose, which is bulky, is dried it must then be coiled and stored until it is necessary to replace the hose on a fire truck. The hose is typically coiled during storage and transported to the fire truck where it is unreeled into a straight length and placed on the truck.
Lengths of fire hose are quite heavy and bulky to handle. It has been found that the movement and unreeling of the firehose consumes considerable time and effort in the operation of a fire house.
Various arrangements are known for reeling a firehose as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,964-Zinzer, where a device is provided having a crank received between two arms with a guide means provided at the end of the arms to guide the hose to the crank. When the hose has been reeled, it is removed from between the guide means for storage.
A reel means without guide means is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,885--McLoughlin, and another reel arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,260--Kittelson.
A prior art hose cabinet is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,118--Lee, and likewise in U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,243--Zierden, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 1,488,364--Snyder, which does not provide means for removing the hose longitudinally from the storage cabinet.
Likewise, collapaible hose can be provided in varying diameter so that the collapsed hose can vary in width from 11/2 inches to even 5 or 6 inches. No prior art device is known to accommodate winding an unwinding collapsible hoses of varying diameter.